Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Crime of Gender 37

The woman and the young daughter-in-law left without saying anything to Qin Shuangshuang. Qin Shuangshuang stood there, staring at the back of the middle-aged woman in a daze for a long time before she brought the Eldest Lady back home.

The chicken soup in the evening was very fresh. The Eldest Lady’s face was covered with grease as she ate, full of satisfaction. Even Mrs. Bai, after drinking a big bowl of hot chicken soup, had two faint blushes on her cheeks, adding a touch of beauty.

Of course, for the sake of appearances, Qin Shuangshuang endured her nausea and sent a bowl of chicken soup to the main room before eating. Old Chen and Mr. Qin accepted the chicken soup with cold, indifferent expressions, but Qin Shuangshuang didn’t mind.

Although the chicken soup was delicious, Qin Shuangshuang drank it without savoring it. Lying in bed at night, the Eldest Lady and Mrs. Bai were already asleep. Qin Laoer hadn’t been coming back to sleep recently. Qin Shuangshuang, tossing and turning, just couldn’t fall asleep.

She felt very anxious inside, with a vague sense of panic! Qin Shuangshuang didn’t know why she had such thoughts, but she was restless and scared, unable to find a reason, her mind unsettled!

The middle-aged woman she encountered today left Qin Shuangshuang with a bad feeling, yet Qin Shuangshuang couldn’t pinpoint where this feeling came from, always feeling it was related to the memories she couldn’t recall.

Why did her mother die exactly? Could it have something to do with this middle-aged woman, making her instinctively flustered and at a loss when she saw her, yet unable to find out why.

Pressing on her head, Qin Shuangshuang desperately tried to recall her forgotten memories, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember. As a result, she didn’t sleep well all night, waking up the next day feeling a bit listless.

Due to an inexplicable sense of unease, Qin Shuangshuang, who originally planned to go into the mountains today hoping to meet Fang Zhongyi again, decided to stay at home to look after her mother, Mrs. Bai, not going anywhere.

Mrs. Bai had two little tails today. Qin Shuangshuang was Mrs. Bai’s tail, and the Eldest Lady clung to Qin Shuangshuang, also becoming Mrs. Bai’s tail. The two little girls followed Mrs. Bai back and forth; Mrs. Bai fed the pigs, chickens, and ducks, Qin Shuangshuang helped carry things, and the Eldest Lady helped mix various feeds.

Mrs. Bai found Qin Shuangshuang’s behavior today a bit odd, but since Qin Shuangshuang didn’t elaborate, she couldn’t ask much more. Seeing that Qin Shuangshuang wasn’t in any trouble, she didn’t pay it much mind.

”Second Lady, Second Lady!” In the evening, a little head with two braids appeared on the dirt wall next to her home adjoining Aunt Hao’s house. It belonged to a little girl with reddish cheeks, somewhat dark skin, but a very adorable smile.

This young girl was Aunt Hao’s youngest daughter, Qin Qiao’er, eight years old this year, who had a good relationship with Qin Shuangshuang. Though Qin Shuangshuang didn’t really play with children, Qin Qiao’er had always loved to be around Qin Shuangshuang since childhood.

Qin Qiao’er had been staying at her grandmother’s place for a while and just returned today. As soon as she got back, she habitually climbed up the wall to greet Qin Shuangshuang!

Qin Shuangshuang greeted Qin Qiao’er from under the wall, with the Eldest Lady clinging tight to Qin Shuangshuang also reaching the wall. Qin Qiao’er, smiling, chatted with Qin Shuangshuang for a bit before climbing over the wall into the yard, mysteriously approaching Qin Shuangshuang, and pulling the Eldest Lady along, making three little heads huddle together.

Qin Qiao’er lowered her voice, ”Did you hear? Cui’er who lived at the west end of the village was sold by her mother—just yesterday—and I heard she was sold into a wealthy family in the county town as a maid.

This matter was thanks to Cui’er’s sister-in-law, who heard by chance when she went to the county for medical treatment that a rich family was looking to buy servants, seizing this good opportunity!

I heard that Cui’er was sold for fifty taels of silver, and even though it’s a life contract, fifty taels of silver! That’s more than some people could see in their entire lifetime. And the maids in wealthy families live better than the daughters of the landlords in our town.

Many people were envious and wanted to sell their daughters there too, to not only get silver but also find a good life for their children. Unfortunately, they only want good-looking ones; ordinary families’ girls aren’t in demand. Many in the village are jealous of Cui’er’s mother.

I heard Sanyan and the others wanted to go work as maids in a wealthy family too, to eat and live well, and earn a few hundred coins a month. They say it’s a golden opportunity hard to find,” Qin Qiao’er said, noting the envy of many but with no taint of envy in her tone.

Qin Shuangshuang frowned. Ordinary folks always think the days in wealthy families are comfortable, even saying being a maid is a life of luxury. Selling sons and daughters is a wrongdoing, but selling a daughter to a rich family is a sought-after blessing.

Little do they know, wealthy families are truly ruthless, swallowing people whole. Girls sold into them first work as menial maids, with heavy work but little pay, and climbing up is difficult. Strife and suppression among servants are common. To live well, one must at least become a second-class maid.

Even becoming a second-class or first-class maid, there are still schemes among masters. A slight oversight or getting dragged in against one’s will could mean being beaten to death or sold to places of ill-repute. Being a maid in a rich family is no easy task; this was Qin Shuangshuang’s personal experience.

Moreover, when buying servants, wealthy families never choose based on looks. The primary demand is wit and loyalty; appearance just needs not to be frightening. For the family buying Cui’er to demand looks, it’s not a good sign. Such a demand often means purchasing concubines.

The best outcome for a concubine is to become a mistress, but even a mistress can be given away. In her past life, Qin Shuangshuang was forced into being a concubine and then given away by the master.

Back then, Qin Shuangshuang was traded several times, living in great misery. Although she eventually found ways to prevent being given away further, her fate only allowed her to survive.

Qin Shuangshuang wasn’t familiar with Cui’er, recalling her to be an honest and delicate girl. Such a person in a grand household was destined for a bleak end!

The thing that bothered her most about this matter was the purchaser of Cui’er. That unsettling middle-aged woman Qin Shuangshuang met the day before was likely the one who bought Cui’er, as the young daughter-in-law accompanying her was Cui’er’s sister-in-law.

This matter was talked about in Qin Family Village for quite a while, but none of it related to Qin Shuangshuang. She was single-mindedly sticking to her mother, Mrs. Bai, taking only a moment to meet Fang Zhongyi at the foot of the mountain to collect her silver from selling a deer.

Fortunately, that live buck was very valuable, sold for as much as thirty taels of silver, a whole fifteen taels more than the buck Fang Zhongyi had with intact fur! All because Qin Shuangshuang’s deer was alive!

One day, Qin Qiao’er mysteriously climbed over the wall again, muttering to Qin Shuangshuang and the Eldest Lady, ”Do you two know? Cui’er’s family has had a major incident!”